College student dead after Wisconsin plane crash

MERRILL, Wis. — An aviation student at Minnesota State University, Mankato is dead after a plane crash in central Wisconsin.

MERRILL, Wis. — An aviation student at Minnesota State University, Mankato is dead after a plane crash in central Wisconsin.

Authorities say 24-year-old Matthew Zocher was piloting a single-engine plane on his way to his family's home in Merrill when the plane crashed in a heavily wooded area. Zocher was alone on board and was dead when rescuers found him.

The Free Press of Mankato reports the plane had a Minnesota State University logo on its tail. An MSU spokesman says the school has an aviation training program that uses planes owned by North Star Aviation in Mankato.

Marathon County Sheriff's Lt. Randy Albert says the Federal Aviation Administration notified them at about 5 p.m. Thursday of a missing plane. Officials found the plane about four hours later.

WSAW-TV reports the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate.